Ascension of the Damned
by PyramidHead316
Summary: A man awakens in the town of Silent Hill under mysterious and ominous circumstances. Lost and with few clues to his identity, what will he find as he journeys through the town where nightmares become hellish realities?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Silent Hill (tm) and its characters are owned by the geniuses at Konami. I take no credit for any recognizable characters, locations, themes, and so forth. I am not making any money whatsoever from this work of writing. It's Konami's twisted little universe; I'm just having some fun with it. I have absolutely nothing of value except for my video game collection and my computer, so please don't sue.

This story is part of a larger series based around the premise of an alternate universe. There will be several original characters, and certain things will not match up with the timeline of the games. So please don't bother pointing outthat things aren't exactly like the games' mythology, because that isn't my intent. Reviews are welcome, as is constructive criticism. However, flames will be met by a large attack force of Pyramid Heads. ;D

* * *

**Chapter 1 – Meetings in the Woods**

The man was an ordinary looking man, by all accounts; had anyone been around to see him, they would have agreed. His height and slim muscular build were slightly impressive, but other than that, there was nothing extraordinary about him. Ordinary clothes – a plain white shirt, jeans, boots; dusty with dirt from the forest. He was wearing a leather jacket, which he noted with some curiosity. Overall, there was nothing to distinguish him from any other drifter.

There was a bland expression on his face, as though he wasn't aware of where he was going. He walked with a tired gait and somewhat shaky steps, almost dragging himself with sheer willpower. Weariness was the overall mood he emanated; exhausted to the point of collapsing. Yet somehow he remained standing up.

He had awoken to a terrible headache. A sickening sense of disorientation greeted him as soon as he made the slightest move to stand, rendering him physically ill. He couldn't remember the last time had he eaten.

"Where am I?" was the question he had asked, namely to himself.

When he first woke up, he noticed the fog that permeated the area. He thought nothing of it at the time. Not until he took those first few steps and realized it was surrounding him.

He swiped futilely at the mist. The fog was suffocating; he could barely see across the landscape to the lake. What was this place, that the fog was so thick in an area where it shouldn't be?

From what he saw of his surroundings, the location was a forest caught in the clutches of a dark, moonlit night. The sky was black, with the crescent celestial body barely providing a source of illumination to the murky woods. Oddly enough, he couldn't distinguish any of the sounds usually associated with the night in a place such as this. The silence was eerie, and strangely unnatural, making him shiver instinctively.

There was nothing for a clueless drifter lost in the forest to do but walk. Luckily, _conveniently_, there was a solid dirt path leading up to _somewhere_. He decided to take it.

He walked until he came to a large abandoned factory. At least, it looked like a large abandoned factory. There was a large rusted door, surrounded by a large, equally discolored wall around fifteen feet in height. He wondered what this was doing in the middle of a forest. Perhaps it was a leftover from an earlier time, many years ago? It certainly looked like it had aged greatly. He entered with great caution.

The next area certainly looked like an old factory. It wasn't an enclosed building, as it turned out, but an open area that looked like a storage place, and possible processing plant. A lot of it was fenced off from his reach. He leaned against a rusted handhold, only to have collapse as it broke off, taking him with it to the ground. He winced as he pushed himself up, staring at the chunk of pipe that had broken off in his hand. It occurred to him he could use it as a weapon. Not that he was expecting anything to attack him, but this place seemed creepy, to say the least.

He descended down two small ramps, until he came to an area filled with evidence of the storage place's prior task. Rusted sealed barrels were lined up along the walls, offering insights into activities he didn't care to speculate about. He declined to open any of them. If the smell they already gave off was any indication, he probably didn't want to know what was inside. For some reason, he felt an odd sense of déjà vu, though he couldn't figure out why. He hadn't been here before, had he?

It was suddenly when he was near a rusted door, that he noticed something very unusual lying in the middle of the floor. At first it looked like a large mass of worn out, dark brown cloth lying a few meters ahead. But he soon got closer and realized that this was something else entirely. Two arms were sticking out from the cloth on opposite sides, with skin as pale as that of a decomposing corpse. That would have been disturbing enough alone, but the arms were longer than any person's should be, with the hands to match. Whatever this was, the term "human" sure didn't apply. And the smell coming from them made it obvious they weren't props of some sort.

"What the hell…" the man muttered to himself, peering at the motionless form. And before he knew the thing was moving, its right arm smacking him with considerable force. The blow sent him flying back a few feet into two of the drums lining the walls, knocking down the barrels with a loud metallic clang. Wincing in pain as he held his ribs, the stunned man looked up and saw the full view of what had attacked him.

All things considered, it almost looked like the grim reaper itself. Standing taller than an average human, the dark hooded cloak it wore only made it look larger and more intimidating. The creature balanced itself on its arms, possessing no legs that the man could see. But it was its faces that were the unsettling part. The thing had two pale hairless heads side by side, with the visage of an infant etched on each. It was a morbid sight, and the high-pitched squeal that emanated from the creature only made it more disturbing. And then it charged at him.

He acted purely on instinct, rolling to the side to avoid the arm that struck at him with surprising speed. Grabbing the steel pipe he'd dropped a few feet away, he got to his feet and swung at the weapon as hard as he could at the creature's skulls. A loud crunch was heard as the metal connected, but the monster didn't go down. Instead it took several swipes at the man that he dodged, using the opportunity to get in a few hits to its body. Grunting deeply from the damage, the beast turned its back on its foe and began walking away. But the man had no intention of letting it retreat. He struck at the beast two more times, making it turn to face him, and then delivered a full force swing to its two heads that made the creature give a piecing squeal of agony. It fell to the floor groaning and twitching. A final slam of the pipe silenced it permanently.

The bewildered man stared at the creature he had killed with a whirlwind of thoughts running through his head. What the hell was going on here? What in God's name was this thing? It certainly wasn't human; no way could anyone take that kind of punishment, and they sure as hell couldn't pull off a trick this elaborate. Whatever this thing was, 'monster' was the only word to describe it.

Shocked and disoriented, he took some deep breaths, trying to settle himself from the rush adrenaline running through his body. His thoughts turned to what awaited him outside. Could there be more of these things waiting for him? It seemed likely. Something like this wouldn't just show up out of nowhere. Chances were it probably had companions nearby in one form or another.

He couldn't believe this was happening. Where had this thing come from? One thing was certain. It looked like he was definitely going to need more than just a rusted pipe to rely on.

He was relieved to find there were no other fiends present nearby. Moving on, he reentered the forest. His eyes scanned the vicinity, searching for any signs of danger. There were none. However, there was something else equally as interesting. Parked on the trail in plain sight was a black Jeep. The man went up to the vehicle and placed a hand on the engine hood. Still warm. So he wasn't alone in this place. Whoever the Jeep belonged to hadn't been gone for long. The doors were locked. He glanced in through the windows, hoping to catch a glimpse of what sort of person this might belong to. A jacket, a notebook…anything that might indicate an owner's tastes.

His eyes lit up when he saw what was inside. Handguns, knives, an abundance of ammunition, and even a hunting rifle were among the items scattered inside. What the hell? There were even a few holsters for the assorted weapons. Amazing. These would definitely help with defending himself. The locked doors were a problem, but not a tough one. The solution was right in his hands. He was about to smash open the glass when the sound of a gate being opened made him pause. Gripping his weapon tightly, he turned around and saw someone aiming a gun at him.

"Stay where you are!" a tough sounding voice called out.

It was a woman. A blonde haired woman, possibly in her early late twenties or early thirties, wearing a black leather jacket. As she stepped closer, the cornered man could see an intense expression on her face; like she wouldn't hesitate to shoot him unless he did what she asked. He held up his hands in a surrendering gesture, showing that he was harmless.

"Step away from the Jeep," the woman demanded.

He did as asked, carefully stepping to the side one step at a time.

The woman relaxed a little bit, but her aim never wavered from his torso.

"Who are you?" she asked bluntly, an edge to her voice.

The man sighed, wondering how he was going to explain this one.

"Just someone who's looking for a means of defending himself," he answered. He tried to sound confident about his reply, like that was the only thing that really mattered here. Neglecting to mention his name was just a safeguard against a potentially dangerous person. "In case you haven't noticed, we aren't in the safest of environments," he added, with confidence he didn't feel.

He couldn't tell her he didn't know who he was. "I wasn't going to take all of it," he said quietly.

The woman stared at him for the longest time, as it gauging whether or not to believe him. "And you decided to use my weapons to defend yourself. How convenient," she said, sneering with palpable sarcasm. "Some of it or all of it, it's still my stuff. You should consider yourself lucky I don't shoot you right here and now."

"I didn't know it was yours," he retaliated, scoffing a bit at her presumptuousness. "What kind of person leaves their vehicle alone with all those weapons, in the woods no less?" He was intimidated by her threat, but something told him she didn't have it in her. He didn't know how he knew that, only that he did.

Nonetheless, that didn't mean she wasn't dangerous.

"Who are you anyway?" he finally asked her.

The woman paused, gauging whether or not to answer the question. He could see the hesitation in her mind; the fear possibly, combined with the anger about him trying to break into her Jeep. And there was something else too; something he couldn't identify. He wondered what it was.

"No one you need to know about," she answered, going with the evasive answer. The man sighed, but he should have expected her not to answer that question honestly. "Just a visitor passing through," she added, as if to underscore her non-importance.

Nonetheless, he asked the next question without a hint of hesitation.

"So what are you doing here anyway?" he asked with a small smirk.

The woman looked at him incredulously, smiling in disbelief.

"You really think I'm going to answer that?" she asked.

"No, but I had to ask anyway," the man smirked a little. He turned serious. "Why do you need so many guns out here?"

"None of your business!" An indignant look; she was almost offended by the question.

Now he got a reaction. He was taken aback by her sudden change in demeanor, going from guarded to violent in the span of a minute. The woman noticed it too, because she took a calming breath. Her eyes lost their widened stance, and she seemed to back down physically as well as mentally.

"It's nothing you have to concern yourself with," she replied reluctantly, more to show she was calm again than to reassure him.

"Fine." If that's the way she wanted it. He was getting tired of this.

"Are you going to put that gun down anytime soon?" he asked, with a mild note of annoyance.

The woman's lip was twisted upwards in wry humor. "That depends. Are you going to put down that metal piece of shit down anytime soon?"

He almost smiled in response. That was the reason he wanted another weapon in the first place. He didn't think this was going to last long against those monsters. But somehow he remained serious, due to the tension. He slowly lowered the pipe to the ground, while keeping his left hand up, to show that he was serious about this. He couldn't be certain she wasn't going to shoot him, but he had no other choice. He just had to trust her. He held up both hands as a sign of his harmlessness.

The woman weighed the decision carefully, pondering whether to trust him. Finally convinced, she put down her gun. The man breathed a sigh of relief. He was glad this episode was over with.

The man took a few steps away from her, as much as he could without provoking her. The woman threw him a wary look, but she went over to check on her belongings. He wondered if it would be alright to just grab his pipe and get the hell out of here.

"I'm looking for someone," she spoke up. The man was surprised at that. "I'm on an investigative assignment," she said, clarifying what she meant by looking for someone.

"Investigative assignment?" the man repeated. "You a cop?"

"Maybe. Or maybe not," the woman said, smiling. "It doesn't matter. Either way, it's none of your business."

"Fine," the man replied. He could take a hint. If she didn't want to talk about it, he wasn't going to pry any further.

"Where are we anyway? I'm a little lost around here," he said, hoping she didn't question it much further. It was partly the truth, that much was honesty.

The woman raised an eyebrow. "Really? Don't you know better than to go into a strange forest at night?" she asked sardonically, making it seem like she was talking to a child.

The blond man rolled his eyes. "Just answer the question, please," he said with irritation.

The woman smirked. "Hey, you're not in any position to make demands here," she said smugly. But she capitulated nonetheless. "We're in Silent Hill, around the forested area of the region. We're near Toluca Lake, the major lake in the region, which is only a few meters away from us."

"Silent Hill? I've never heard of it," he said. The name sounded familiar, but he was positive he had never heard of it before. Why did it seem so unusual?

"You're kidding, right?" the woman asked in disbelief. "Everybody's heard of Silent Hill. It's practically a legend among some circles."

"I'm from far away; we don't know much about it there. Indulge me," the man said patiently.

"It used to be a resort town, but now it's falling apart," the woman replied.

He was a little puzzled, to say the least. "That doesn't seem so bad," the man said thoughtlessly, not seeing what the big deal was.

The woman smiled tightly. "It's one of those things you have to see for yourself," she said.

The man put a hand to his forehead. Something about this whole thing was off; he didn't know what it was, but it seemed important. He had the makings of a headache, trying to remember what he was doing here. For some reason, he felt compelled to ask her name then, but the woman beat him to it. "What your name?" she asked curiously.

The man turned to the woman in worry. How to tell her that he didn't remember his name or what he was doing here? He strained the lines on his forehead, trying to remember the slightest scrap of information about his identity.

"_Chris, we should get going. We don't want to be late," the dark haired woman said._

_Chris looked around satisfied. Everything seemed to be in order, and the kids seemed to be content. _

"Chris," he went with the first thing he thought of. Where did that come from? Who was that woman, and what was he doing there? It almost seemed like some place in this forest, but that was impossible, wasn't it? Nonetheless, it did give him the answer he needed.

The woman looked at him closely, apparently wondering whether to believe him. Nonetheless, the answer seemed satisfy her. He rounded on her, turning the questioning on her. "What's your name?"

The woman frowned, as though contemplating whether to tell him. "Daniella," she finally answered.

"Daniella," Chris repeated. It sounded pretty, but there was nothing spectacular about it.

He took a good look at Daniella. She seemed trustworthy, now that she wasn't threatening him with a gun. Of course, he still wasn't sure if she was really a cop, but that was probably as much as she was going to tell him about herself. Should he tell her that he had no memory of who he was and was lost here? Maybe she could help him. She wasn't the ideal person he would have chosen, but at least she was someone, in a forest that was rapidly becoming stranger.

"Listen, Daniella…" Chris began, intent on telling her. Suddenly, a flash of images struck his mind out of nowhere. A blonde woman was in a room, pistol whipping a man on his knees. And it looked very much like Daniella.

Chris blinked his eyes to clear his vision. What was that? Where did that come from? It was like a sudden burst of images. Who was that woman? Was it really Daniella? And was that him? It didn't seem plausible that that was him, but then again, he couldn't remember anything about his past either. "What?" Daniella asked, and he realized she was still waiting for an answer.

Chris shook away the image. ""Nothing, just…do you need any help? I'm no police officer, but maybe I can help you," he said instead. He didn't know much about her, but he certainly couldn't rule out such an act like the one in the flashback, given what he'd just seen only a few minutes ago. No, he definitely wasn't going to tell her, if that little flashback was any indication. He didn't know her very well, and he had no idea what she was capable of. Best not to give her any ideas until he knew precisely where she stood in all this.

Daniella shook her head. "Thanks, but I'll be fine," she declined his offer. "I'm used to working by myself," she remarked.

Chris nodded slightly. "Okay," he said uncertainly – that was actually what he was aiming for. It was probably a good idea if he kept his distance. He wanted to keep an eye on her, but at the same time, it was obvious he was outmatched in this situation. Maybe after he'd found a weapon, he'd get closer to her and determine what she was really doing here.

He wanted to tell her about the monster he saw, and the strange things in this place, but he didn't know whether she would believe him. And if she was carrying around a car full of weapons, then perhaps she already knew. She probably wasn't going to tell him if she saw anything, because she was probably feeling the same thing: that he would think she was crazy.

There was a gate nearby. Chris went up to it. "Take care," he said, turning the creaky handle. He paused, wondering what else could be said. "I hope you find what you're looking for." Away from him, Daniella paused, before answering in return. "Yeah, you too."

Chris went through the gate.

* * *

Two large stones greeted Chris as he came to a large expanse covered in dirt and little else. Right away, he noticed it was a different landscape from what he'd seen before. This place seemed out of place in the forest, with no trees at all in sight. Suddenly, he was struck by an unusual feeling. Something was vaguely familiar about this place, but he couldn't put his finger on it. He passed it off as one of the things he couldn't remember, but any passing thoughts were suppressed as he saw the boulders settled deep in the ground.

The two enormous stones stood parallel to one another, about twenty feet apart. Stretching up to a height of at least twelve feet, they were an imposing monument. Standing between the rocks was a small, incomplete fence with a trail of candles positioned carefully on the wood; like a shrine in the forest. But there was no indication as to who built it or what purpose it could possibly serve.

Chris stared with fascination at the stones. There was an unusual quality about them, something he couldn't quite pinpoint. He noticed there were also two spiral symbols carved into them, one on each boulder. It almost looked like the primitive carvings one would find in a cave somewhere. He thought back to that monster he had seen in the storage area. Was it related to this? He listened closely, the hair on the back of his neck standing as his ears picked up on something odd. Was it him, or was there some kind of humming in the air? The tune was barely audible, so low in pitch that he had to strain to hear it. But it was there.

Or was it? How could he be certain this wasn't all just in his mind?

A jarring scream suddenly shook him out of his wonderings. His eyes scanned the surrounding ground for the telltale cloak and hands, but found nothing. He looked up at the stones…and there it was.

Clutching onto the top of the left rock was a double-headed monster exactly like the one he had killed earlier. Pointing ominously at him, the creature appeared to mutter something in a low, growling voice, just before it jumped to the ground and started towards Chris. Chris struggled to gather himself, narrowly dodging a fierce swipe from one its huge arms. Putting all his strength behind his muscles, he swung his steel pipe at the monster's left head, taking off a large piece of flesh and muscle. The creature cried out, aiming wild blows at its prey which he just barely managed to avoid. He struck out at the beast, bashing the eerie twin skulls until the creature finally collapsed to the ground.

Another attack – this one coming by surprise, and one he barely managed to deal with. Chris prodded the pale twin skulls with his boot. What the hell was going on here? The skulls almost looked like porcelain masks under his boot, but the squishy texture assured him this was real flesh. Where were these things coming from? And what did it say for this region if these creatures were widespread throughout the area? Chris couldn't imagine how anyone could survive under a constant barrage of this.

Was that what Daniella meant about Silent Hill falling apart?

No more monsters appeared. Chris tread carefully into the subsequent areas, which were once again forested instead of treeless gravel. Except for a stone well, only foliage occupied the first section. The second was a different matter.

All the way in the back, he saw a wooden fence about eleven feet high encircling a substantial area of land. Two simple doors surrounded by a cobblestone border greeted any potential visitors, while a small sign next to them. Chris began making his way there, but a tap-tap noise stopped him in his tracks. Something was near…and it didn't sound like one of those hideous malformed reapers.

Tap-tap. Tap-tap. The sound grew closer. Chris peered around the tree concealing him and found the source of the tapping.

Dogs. Three of them. But not ordinary dogs. Ordinary dogs did not have half of their skin shredded off. Nor did they drool a revolting pus-like substance that looked more than a little acidic. Their eyes glowed jarringly red as they sniffed the ground, stalking the prey they instinctively recognized was nearby.

Chris' eyes widened, and he stood there staring at the monsters. But he recovered quickly. These were dogs, at least. This was something he could handle. Ordinary dogs didn't have the grotesque qualities these things did, but at least they were a familiar shape, and not the unnatural forms of the other monsters he had killed.

Chris knew he would never get past them unnoticed. Fighting them with the steel pipe was an option, but he had a better idea. Silently counting down, he braced himself.

_Three…_

_Two…_

_One…_

Chris broke into a flat out run to the gate, passing the pack of hungry undead hounds. The corpse-like beasts reacted immediately to his movement, releasing an unnatural howl that might have frozen the blood of a lesser man. Chris didn't stop running. His legs took him as fast as they could while the enemy gave chase, rapidly clearing the gap between them and their would-be meal. Chris made it to the gate, but one of the dogs was seconds from reaching him. His grip on the steel pipe tightened. As the beast leaped at him, Chris swung the pipe full force. The corpse hound flew back from several feet from the impact, colliding with the other two pursuers. Chris ducked into the doorway before they recovered.

Safely inside the perimeter, Chris breathed a sigh of relief. His heart was pounding in his chest, and he felt like he would break out into a cold sweat at any minute. That was a close one, but at least he didn't have a scratch on him.

This area was huge compared to the others, and with good reason. Situated in the very center of the terrain was a huge two story Victorian home. The structure had seen better days; even at a distance, the cracked walls and peeling paint of the house's decaying exterior were plainly visible. Scattered around the premises were old tire swings, monkey bars, and other equipment and toys, remains of a neglected playground long since fallen into a state of disrepair.

This looked like a settlement for a large family, at the very least, but if so, it had clearly been abandoned for a while. There was rust on some of the amusements made from metal, and the toys were covered in a fine layer of dust.

It was a sad thing to see, and Chris felt a pang of sorrow at the miserable state of the building. Something about this place radiated an immense sense of sorrow, and he was struck immediately by it, despite seeing the house for only a few minutes.

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a sign on the left stone column bordering the door and turned back to read it:

**The Outside is filled with dangerous things. If someone goes Outside without an adult's permission, the Master is sad. **

What the hell? 'The Master?' What kind of this place was this? Another unusual thing caught his attention: a stone with red writing lurked near one of the tire swings. Chris knelt to check it out. It was a useless effort – the writing was unlike any he had seen. It didn't look like real writing so much as long lines of scribble and weird symbols. Was it a coded language of some sort, or just gibberish done by a kid some time ago?

"It's one of my messages."

Chris immediately stood to face the source of the voice. He saw a man more or less his height, with long blonde and a day or two's worth of stubble framing his jaw. His clothes had seen better days – his faded blue rain coat and gray trousers were heavily stained. His shoes were no less worn out either. Chris noted that the man's skin was unusually pale, as if he hadn't seen sunlight in a very long time.

"Who are you?" Chris asked, bewildered by the man's appearance. This man looked like a homeless person, but what would a homeless person be doing out in the middle of the forest? Was he staying in that dilapidated building?

"You can put down your weapon. I didn't mean to startle you," the man said softly. Chris didn't move an inch.

"Who are you?" He asked.

"…I don't have a name," the man said after a long moment of silence. There was something odd about his tone, almost like a faint note of something akin to regret.

"Oh."

Okay, this was definitely not a normal person, Chris decided. He may not have remembered his full name at the moment, but at least he had one.

"Well, my name's Chris," he offered the stranger his hand. The man simply stared at it. Chris pulled back his hand, wondering how much force it would take to render this guy unconscious if necessary.

"What are you doing here?"

The man shrugged. "I could ask you the same thing."

"I guess I'm visiting old memories," Chris half-lied. "You?"

The man didn't miss a beat. "The same."

"Hm." He focused on what this strange individual mentioned earlier. "You said this message belongs to you?"

"Yes. I wrote it here when I was a kid," the man confirmed. He paused, staring around at the ruined playground equipment. "I wrote the other ones too."

"When you were a kid? But that means…"

"Yes, I lived here, right at this orphanage, a long time ago. This was my home before I left to go to college."

"This was an orphanage?" Chris asked with some disbelief.

"Is," the man corrected him.

"Wait a minute. You're telling me this place is still open?"

The pale man nodded mutely.

"Then why is it like this?" Chris inquired, waving an arm around at the pitiable surroundings. "You don't expect me to believe children actually live here."

The man didn't respond. Chris was unnerved by his silence. There was something very unusual about this guy. Something about the way those dark eyes stared at him… almost as if they were looking right through him, set Chris on edge.

When he realized the man in the faded raincoat wasn't going to reply anytime soon, Chris switched gears a bit.

"You said you went to college. Where was that?" he asked.

"A city called Pleasant River, a few miles east from here."

"Was it a nice place?" Chris asked disinterestedly.

"It was, for the most part." Shrug.

"So why'd you come back?"

"To Silent Hill? Or here?" the man replied.

"Both," Chris inquired.

The pale man shrugged. "I…had business here. And…I wanted to see my home again." It was a good enough reason, but Chris thought the man's expression darkened a bit. Maybe there was more to the story than he was telling.

"You?"

"Same here, I guess," Chris said.

"I see…" the man replied. He smiled in a disconcerting way. "You know, it's not nice to lie to others. The scriptures frown upon it," he said tactlessly, his voice sounding somewhere between chiding and threatening, yet retaining a sweet, dulcet nature to it. Chris was taken aback by the sudden change in demeanor. What the hell?

"What are you taking about?" Chris asked in confusion.

"You're lying. You do have business here, but you didn't come here willingly. In fact, I bet you never wanted to see this place again," the man stated, dangerously quiet.

"What are you talking about?" Chris repeated. "Where do you get off on accusing of lying? What do you know about me?" he demanded.

The man was unperturbed. "Don't play dumb, Christopher. I'm not the boy I once was. I know exactly who you are and why you don't want to be here again," he said patiently, as if there was nothing at out-of-the-ordinary. Chris was beginning to lose his patience.

"Damn it, answer the question! What the hell are you talking about?" Chris practically growled. He wondered if it would be too much to raise the pipe in a threatening stance, because right now he was seriously considering bashing the hell out of this man. Was this man one of the people from his past he had forgotten?

What the hell was going on? Chris moment this ratty looking man was having a casual conversation with him, the next he was accusing Chris of having some hidden agenda. Where was this coming from?

"You're just like that woman wandering around with all those guns," the man continued, paying no heed to Chris' obvious bewilderment.

"What woman?"

"You know who," the man snapped harshly.

Chris hesitated. "Are you talking about Daniella?"

"Who else?" The man retorted. "She's a sinner, you know. Just like you and everyone else. But make no mistake. You will suffer for what you've done," he warned, in a dark tone that almost sent shivers up Chris' spine.

The man turned to leave.

"Hey, wait up!" Chris went after him, but didn't get far. A sharp pain suddenly assaulted his skull out of nowhere, dropping him to his knees holding his throbbing forehead. The sound of air sirens echoed around him, so loudly that he didn't know whether it was really happening or just inside his brain. God, it felt like his brain was melting inside his head, and his mind was disintegrating rapidly. The man in the coat didn't look back at him even once. He simply walked away until he was completely out of sight. And just like that, the agony in Chris' head completely disappeared.

He got to his feet, shaky on his steps, breathing hard from the trauma of the experience. There was no sign of the strange man anywhere. "What the hell…?" Chris muttered, shaking his head. Something seriously fucked up was going on, that was for sure. What did that weirdo mean about him and Daniella being "sinners"? And why had he been stricken with the mother of all migraines from hell as soon as he tried to follow the bastard? A migraine, which not so incidentally, went away almost as soon as it started? As soon as that man vanished, in fact.

Too many questions and not a single answer for one of them. As he struggled to come to terms with the insanity surrounding him, the single most pertinent question of all lingered in his mind, unrelenting in its prodding.

What in God's name was going on?


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Silent Hill (tm) and its characters are owned by the geniuses at Konami. I take no credit for any recognizable characters, locations, themes, and so forth. I am not making any money whatsoever from this work of writing. It's Konami's twisted little universe; I'm just having some fun with it. I have absolutely nothing of value except for my video game collection and my computer, so please don't sue.

This story is part of a larger series based around the premise of an alternate universe. There will be several original characters, and certain things will not match up with the timeline of the games. So please don't bother pointing out that things aren't exactly like the games' mythology, because that isn't my intent. Reviews are welcome, as is constructive criticism. However, flames will be met by a large attack force of Pyramid Heads. ;D

Thanks for the reviews, Kenobifan, Silence in Nightmares. To answer your question, this does take place before SH4. However, Walter's presence is a big hint that a certain ritual is underway. How it transpires in this story, though, remains to be seen. :)

* * *

**Chapter 2 – The Ghosts of Wish House**

The interior of the alleged orphanage was exactly as the outside of the structure implied. The place looked like it had been abandoned for years. Old furniture was haphazardly strewn about the main room, most of it crumbling from extensive decay. A fine layer of dust covered everything in sight, and spider webs were present in the corners of the cracked, discolored walls.

Chris stepped through the clutter of the living room, examining the scattered objects for anything useful. It appeared that strange guy in the rain coat hadn't completely lied to him after all. There was plenty of evidence that children once lived here in the form of old drawings depicting an assortment of things; flowers, people, and a few imaginary monsters. There were also a few very old, worn out toys.

He picked one up off the ground. It was an old stuffed doll, stained and dusty, reminiscent of a little mouth-less gray alien. He stared at the doll. There was something odd about this toy. He was almost certain he had seen it before.

A curious sensation began to take hold of him the longer he stared at the doll. And little by little, the images began to arise…

* * *

_The room was a very different place. A stark contrast to its previous state of decay, the furniture was all neatly arranged, and there were no toys in sight. Fourteen young children sat in a group in the center of the living room, watching with rapt attention the figure pacing in front of them, holding an old leather-bound book in her worn hands. _

_The woman paused to survey the children with her yellow eyes, making sure they were still paying attention. She didn't have bothered. Everyone here knew that to not pay attention to this particular teacher was to suffer a very painful punishment. _

_ Satisfied that all eyes were on her, the woman continued on with her lesson for the day, a sermon culled from the scriptures she held. Her voice was reverent in tone as she droned on about God and the duties of Her servants, including the young ones gathered here today. She smiled slightly when she spied the two children and one scrawny teenager lurking at the back of the group at a small, yet noticeable distance from the others. _

_ Their expressions were different as well. The little brunette girl was barely focused, looking somewhere between sullen and bored. No surprise there. Her pale blonde companion was a different story. Unlike her friend, she was absolutely fascinated with the speech. The brunette stared glumly at her with obvious pity in her eyes. But it was the third individual that caught the woman's interest. _

_The boy that lingered near the two girls shared neither the brunette's moroseness not the blonde's enthusiasm. He stood back from the girls in a corner of the room, towering over the others like a gargoyle overlooking its victims. He was not a part of the main group, that much was clear. Eyes fixed straight ahead, he looked on with an almost blank expression, as if he were bored like his brunette 'friend'. That was far from the case. Beneath the vacant stare, the woman knew he was absorbing every word she preached. _

_These were the best type of followers, the woman knew; the ones who neither fanatical nor reluctant to learn. They simply learned quietly and intensely, immersing themselves in the teachings, almost like a machine. _

_They were dangerous. _He_ was dangerous. Age mattered not, the woman realized. Often times, the trends that would end up defining us as adults were set early on in our childhoods. They shaped our personalities, molding us into individuals who were usually very resistant to change. The Order was aware of this, of course, which was why she and its other figureheads worked hard to ensure that children like these were given the most thorough introduction possible into their religion. It was the only way they could be certain that this next generation of follow would not be easily swayed from God's will by outside forces. They would carry on the traditions faithfully, as those before them had for over a century, remaining devoted servants of God. _

_And if the signs she was already seeing were any indication, the boy would be a truly great member of the Order. Perhaps even their greatest ever, superior even to the chosen Mother of God. _

_The woman ceased her pacing. She stared hard at the assembled children, her lips thinned in a thoughtful frown. When she spoke, her voice was dry with ill-disguised contempt. _

"_Alessa," she announced loudly. The brunette girl in the back looked up sharply. _

"_Come up here and read the next passage."_

_The little girl stared at the woman. The teacher almost laughed – the distaste was plain on the girl's face. Such a recalcitrant student girl…it was nearly a shame they would have to break that spirit for the good of the Order. _

_Little Alessa seemed to ponder what the teacher wanted. Then, her simple response shocked the entire class. _

"_No." _

_ The assembled children gasped. The pale blonde girl, in particular, looked at her like she was insane. Alessa paid them no heed. _

_ "What did you say?" the woman calmly asked her. _

_ Alessa hesitated. But then she glared at the instructor with smoldering dark brown eyes._

_ "I said no," Alessa said defiantly, eliciting another gasp from the group._

_The woman's eyes narrowed. She slowly made her way through the children, who quickly moved aside to let her through. They were frightened of her already, and they knew what it meant when she got that look on her face. The woman stopped right at Alessa's feet. _

_ "Why?"_

_ The question was deceptively simple. Alessa wasn't fooled. She knew what the woman was really asking. 'Why do you resist? Why don't you fall in line like everyone else?' And as always, her answer was strikingly clear._

_ "Because I hate it."_

_Her pale friend's eyes widened in horror. The other children were stunned as well. Only the boy with a head full of shaggy blonde hair remained unmoved, unflappable as always. _

_ The woman towering over them looked hard at her obstinate pupil. "What?" she demanded warningly, daring Alessa to elaborate. If the little girl registered the threat, she paid no attention to it. _

_ "Because I hate it," she reiterated, and for good measure added, "I hate you."_

_ The other children sucked in their breath in unison. They could not believe what Alessa had just said to their headmaster. Again, the pale little girl looked downright horrified. The odd teenage boy remained unperturbed. _

_ Inside, the woman was smiling. However, appearances demanded that she give the impression of being outraged.  
_

"_How dare you?" she muttered quietly, letting the anger slip into her tone. _

_Her eyes hardened in a way that made everyone shudder, including Alessa. And then, to everyone's astonishment, her hand flew across the little girl's face. Alessa barely had time to react as the instructor's hand struck her face, resonating with a loud smack. The little girl fell to the ground. Tears came to her eyes from the burning sensation in her cheek, though she didn't allow them to fall. She only sat there dazed from the slap, cupping her cheek where a red handprint was rapidly forming. _

_ "Insolent brat! How dare you talk that way about us?" the woman burst out, causing several of the children to start trembling. She roughly hauled Alessa to her feet by one of her forearms, forcing her to make eye contact. _

"_We give you an outlet for your gifts, and this is how you repay us? With impudence and blasphemy?" _

_The little girl didn't respond. Everyone winced when the woman slapped her again for good measure. _

"_This is your life, Alessa. This is what you're destined for, whether you like it or not. You know what the other children at the commoners' school think of you, and I assure you, it only gets worse from there. Bigoted adults are far more evil than closed-minded children, who act solely out petty ignorance." _

_The woman's words were bitingly cruel, drilling into Alessa's soul. And as much as the little girl tried to resist, it was times like these that made her wonder if things would be better if she just accepted the Order's teachings. Because if nothing else, they were right about the outside world. It was filled with vicious, evil people who treated you like trash for being different, even the kids. At least the people here knew she was special. _

_That didn't mean what they did to her hurt any less. _

"_You have a choice, Alessa," the woman stated coldly. "You can either accept your place here as the chosen Mother of God, as is your birthright, and be treated with the greatest of respect. Or…" the woman paused, giving Alessa a disdainful look, "you can keep up this disobedience and continue to receive the appropriate punishments." Her face took on a threatening expression. "And rest assured, we will send you to the Tower if necessary."  
_

_A wave of fear swept through the room. The children knew all about the Tower, and the things that went on there. For a brief moment, Alessa's eyes showed the same fear. But then, the emotion in her eyes turned into one of deep seeded hatred. She stared hard at the instructor, focusing all her inner turmoil into a single malevolent thought. _

I wish you were dead.

_When she saw Alessa's intense facial expression, the woman nearly laughed. She leaned in close to the girl, giving her a knowing smirk. _

_ "Your powers don't work on me, girl," the woman whispered mockingly in Alessa's ears. "The Lord protects me from your childish wrath."_

_ As roughly as she had hauled her up, the woman pushed Alessa to the floor. Alessa sat on her knees, rubbing the arm she was almost sure was hurt while she stared up with spiteful eyes at her tormentor. _

"_Take a lesson from our little would-be heretic here, children. Never, ever, say that you hate anything to do with our Order, especially not the sacred texts. Understood?" the woman said, her stance as unyielding as steel. Satisfied that she had gotten her point across, and stirred just a bit more hatred inside Alessa, the woman returned to reading from the bible in her hand. _

_ As her lecture continued, the children went back to their regular positions. The pale little blonde girl once again focused eagerly on the teachings, while Alessa continued to stew sullenly in her corner. Meanwhile, the teenage boy next to them continued to observe the sermon, his eyes vacant as always. _

_It was a typical day at Wish House._

* * *

The old rag doll slipped from Chris' hands. Gradually, the sense of reality returned to him, and he found himself once again in the messy, dilapidated living room of the now abandoned orphanage. He shook his head, trying to get some sense of what just happened.

"What the…?" he muttered, dazed from the vivid images overtaking his mind only seconds before.

What was that? Who were those people? It was obvious they were no ordinary set of kids and their teacher. And how did they suddenly come to his mind just like that? It almost seemed like a flashback of some sort, except…he was sure he had never witnessed that in person. No one had acknowledged his presence in any way, and it felt like he was somehow looking in from the outside.

He was startled by the door getting kicked in. He turned around to face a familiar sight – Daniella, making her way through the mess of toys and furniture.

"You again?" Her gun was aimed straight at Chris.

Chris let his guard down. "Yeah. Nice to see you too."

"What are you doing here?"

"Same thing you are, I'm guessing. Just checking out this place." He raised a dark eyebrow. "You gonna put that gun down anytime soon?"

Daniella frowned, feeling a little silly. She lowered the weapon. "Fine. You find anything?"

"We're working together now?" Chris asked sardonically.

"Don't shortchange me, asshole. Answer the question."

Sigh. "Nothing so far. Only memories." He certainly wasn't going to tell her the truth. She'd probably think he was crazy. Not a good thing considering she was an armed woman with a very quick temper.

Daniella was intrigued by the response. "You mind telling me what that means?"

"Nothing you would care about," Chris said truthfully.

"Hmph."

"Have you checked upstairs yet?" Daniella asked after a moment of silence.

"No, not yet."

"You going to?"

"No, I was thinking of just standing here for the next three hours. Of course I'm going to check upstairs," Chris snapped sarcastically. He wasn't quite sure why he said it. Maybe it was this whole set of circumstances that had him traversing through a strange forest in the middle of the night, with no idea where he was going or what he was supposed to do. Surely he could be excused for being frustrated in light of that.

Or maybe this woman was just a big pain in the butt.

She certainly has an attitude problem, Chris reflected, staring at the blonde as she gazed at the clutter with an air of disgust. He could hardly believe that she was supposedly a police officer. Why was she so…harsh, for lack of a better term? Was it just because she caught him trying to steal from her, or was she this way with people in general? And if so, what could have happened to make her that way?

Daniella stared at him with thinned eyes. "Fine. Get to it, then," she clipped.

Chris held back a slight grin. She could dish it out, but taking attitude from someone else was a different story.

"All right. But before I do, you mind answering a question for me? What is this place?"

A shadow seemed to fall across Daniella's face. She hesitated, and Chris guessed that she was possibly wondering what to tell him, or how much.

"It's called Wish House," she finally answered. "It used to be an orphanage, a long time ago."

"Yeah, some guy outside told me that. He didn't mention the name."

"Wait a minute. What guy?" Daniella inquired.

"You didn't see him?" Chris asked rhetorically, though he was curious whether she had encountered that weirdo.

"I haven't seen anyone except you around here," Daniella shook her head. She gave Chris an odd glance. "Can you describe him?"

"Well, he was very…unkempt, is the word, I guess. He had on this dirty blue rain coat and some really stained pants and shoes. He had long blonde hair, and he was very pale, too," Chris explained.

"Hmm," Daniella considered, looking down thoughtfully. "Did he give you a name?"

"No. I asked him, but it was really weird. All he said was that he didn't have a name."

"You're kidding," Daniella scoffed. She shook her head dismissively. "Must be on drugs or something."

"I wouldn't be surprised. He certainly looked like it," Chris said. "You said this place is called Wish House?" He recalled somehow knowing that name in that strange vision.

"Was, as far as I know," Daniella corrected him. "Of course, I haven't been here in years, so what do I know?"

"You've been here before?"

Daniella's face took a strange look. "Uh…yeah, I have, actually. A few years back, I suppose," she stammered. Chris glanced curiously at her. If he didn't know any better, he would swear she was nervous about something. Was that bit of info about her being here before a slip of the tongue she didn't intend to reveal?

"Were you on an investigation?" Chris pressed on.

"Um, yeah, that's it actually," Daniella said. Chris thought she almost sounded panicked. "It was just a routine investigation. Nothing major, really."

"Ah."

"Aren't you gonna check upstairs? You know, see if there's anything suspicious around?"

"Yeah, sure," Chris nodded, and noticed that Daniella was more than a little relieved that he dropped the issue.

She was hiding something. He was sure of it.

However, now wasn't the time to ask her about it. Maybe later, on the off chance she became more comfortable with his presence. But not now, while she still distrusted him, and was liable to defend herself, very likely physically, if he chose to press the issue.

He headed upstairs to where he assumed the bedrooms were.

The dormitory was unexceptional in the same way the living room downstairs was. Two rows of bunk beds were neatly arranged along the walls. There was a semi-comfortable bathroom nearby; perhaps the "Master" preferred that the kids not venture downstairs after lights out. Some of the beds had toys or scribbled drawings and coloring books on them. All of them were sheathed in a fine layer of dust. So was the floor. Little clouds of dust rose with each step he took. Chris was careful not to breathe in too deeply; there was enough grime to cause serious choking. He could taste the staleness in the air each time he inhaled.

At the very back of the room was something that immediately set his nerves on edge.

It was the symbol; the same one from the altar way back in the forest. Chris noted morbidly that it appeared to have been traced with blood.

This couldn't be a coincidence. An ominous feeling took hold in the pit of his stomach. Something was going on here, and he thought back to that weird man he had encountered outside. Was he part of this? Almost certainly, considering what happened when Chris tried to stop him from leaving. The question was – what exactly was going on? Unless he really had lost his mind, all of this reeked of something supernatural in nature, but that couldn't be true, could it? What kind of force could be operating out of an orphanage in the middle of the woods?

He thought back to that bizarre vision he had downstairs before Daniella arrived. There were numerous mentions of something called "The Order", and that teacher's hideous cruelty certainly lent an air of constant abuse to this place. A cult seemed like the obvious answer. But, if there was really a town nearby, how would the headmasters keep it a secret? And even if that were true, how did it explain those bizarre creatures roaming around outside?

Suddenly, he wished he wasn't too afraid to ask Daniella if she had seen them too. While she said she hadn't seen anybody, they'd been talking about a person, not an inhuman monster. And if she had in fact seen some of those same things too, would she be upfront about it? Or was it possible that she was simply doing the same thing he was: keeping quiet out of fear that he would think she was crazy?

Just as he decided to call the police officer and show her what he found, the emblem on the wall began to glow with a dim ethereal light. Suddenly, the window panes next to the beds shattered in an explosion of glass as rusted iron bars appeared out of nowhere. Chris instinctively drew his forearm over his face to protect his eyes from the flying shards. When it was over, the windows were completely barred off from the balcony outside. Hundreds, perhaps thousands of grains of glass littered the floor and the mattresses. The demonic-looking emblem was still illuminated on the wall, but now it was raining down little rivulets of red onto the floor.

"Time to get the hell out of here," Chris muttered, watching as the small pool of blood began to form on the floor.

He rushed for the door, but was met with an unwelcome surprise. The door was locked; the doorknob wouldn't budge.

"Shit," Chris swore, slamming a fist on the door. To his surprise, he made a minor dent on the surface. Apparently, the wood had already begun to rot away. He considered using the pipe to break through. The wood looked old enough; he could probably do it with enough force.

Suddenly, he heard an unsettling noise that sounded like moist slowly cracking open. He turned to search for the source of the disturbance, steel pipe ready in hand.

And that was when he saw it. Or rather, _them_.

They were clawing out of the beds, out of dark red fissures than resembled a mass of pulsing veins. They weren't human, that much was clear. Their skin was pale, decayed, and emitting a foul stench of dead, rotting flesh. A repulsive assortment of bodily fluids dripped onto the mattresses with every movement the creatures made. The guttural sounds they uttered were like a groan, gasping, choking, and an odd clicking rolled into one. He soon saw why. Every one of the creatures had its throat torn out or slashed. And yet, as incredibly horrific as this was, that wasn't the worst part of their appearance. No, there was something far more disturbing.

These were children.

Not actual children, granted, but that was that they blatantly resembled: grotesque, mutilated dead children. And just like that, the weird man's statements outside took on a new macabre meaning.

They came at him in pairs. Chris felt his heart stop when he saw what they were armed with. Some carried sharp blades in their hands, while others possessed clawed fingers that looked absolutely deadly. In such enclosed quarters, both eclipsed vastly the pathetic steel pipe he was armed with. Chris hurried to break out of the room, but to his disbelief and despair, the door was too thick to be torn down in a few seconds.

"Daniella!" he called out at the top of his lungs, knowing she was his only hope of getting out of here alive. "Daniella, get up here!"

No one answered. Chris wondered whether she'd actually left him alone in here, or whether she too was being attacked by these things. Not that it made much difference. Either way, he was in deep trouble. The demons were mere inches away.

Left with no choice, Chris chose to go down fighting. He charged the pack head on, and with all his strength, swung down his weapon on the skull of one creature, shattering it instantly with a sickening crunch. The demon fell to the ground, where Chris stomped hard on its twitching neck, snapping the brittle bone. One of its companions took a swipe at him with its knife, but Chris avoided it and retaliated with a hard swing of the pipe that struck the monster with vicious force, snapping back its head and breaking its neck.

More of the beasts attacked, eager for revenge. Chris fought them off equally determined. Demon after demon was brutally tossed aside or had its skull bashed in. He used the beds in his favor, turning one over to crush several of the monsters and form a protective barrier between Chris and the remaining fiends. He didn't go completely unhurt by their attack; a couple of the monsters were able to slash at his legs with their blades and talons.

Chris fell to his knees as the creatures tried to climb over the makeshift barricade. He kept striking at them with the steel pipe, holding them back through sheer force of will. But just when it looked like he might have a chance of escaping this threat with his life intact, an all too familiar sound came to his ears.

The piercing blare of air sirens emanated over the surroundings, and just as with the confrontation outside, an agonizing headache brought him down, crippling his defense as he struggled against the throbbing in his temples.

It was more than enough for his aggressors. The monsters didn't hesitate. The four of them that were still alive swarmed onto their human prey, swiping and stabbing at his body with voracious intent. Chris struggled to push them back, but it was just too much. The pain of their weapons rending the flesh on his limbs was the last thing he felt as he lapsed into unconsciousness.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Silent Hill (tm) and its characters are owned by the geniuses at Konami. I take no credit for any recognizable characters, locations, themes, and so forth. I am not making any money whatsoever from this work of writing. It's Konami's twisted little universe; I'm just having some fun with it. I have absolutely nothing of value except for my video game collection and my computer, so please don't sue.

This story is part of a larger series based around the premise of an alternate universe. There will be several original characters, and certain things will not match up with the timeline of the games. So please don't bother pointing out that things aren't exactly like the games' mythology, because that isn't my intent. Reviews are welcome, as is constructive criticism. However, flames will be met by a large attack force of Pyramid Heads. ;D

A/N: _*Thunder rumbles among the skies and lightning bolts strike the ground, as the story rises from the dead!*_ Because I'm now very focused on Dark Descent, I've decided to finish this story. ;) There is a connection here, and the story deserves to be told. There is critical information here, and it simply cannot be left to be ignored. You'll notice there have been a few changes. First, I've removed the prologue. I didn't think it functioned very well. Secondly, chapter 1 has been replaced with an updated, all new better version of the chapter! And third, chapter 2 has been replaced with a new chapter; the real chapter 3 now lurks in its place! Obviously, removing the prologue pushed things back a bit. It's mostly just an aesthetic change, but the result is that there is now a brand new chapter in the story. Yes, the story has been updated with a brand new chapter! I hope for the updating schedule to go "Forbidden Longing", "Dark Descent", "Under the Setting Sun", and then this story, "Ascension of the Damned". But who knows how the actual updating schedule will go!

_Note: Julie is not directly related to Dahlia. And that hole in the wall is NOT the one from Henry's apartment, of Walter's making. It's just a plain old hole in the wall._

* * *

**Chapter 3 – The Lake View Hotel**

Complete darkness was an unsettling thing. Few things could throw a person off balance like finding oneself in a sudden void of pitch black, especially if it occurred in close-knit quarters. Many people would attest that there was nothing scarier than being confined in a tight, dark space. It was in such a situation that many experienced firsthand some of the more unpleasant, and perhaps shameful, parts of their psyches. Some folks dealt with it surprisingly well. Others felt nothing less than genuine terror. And although they might not admit it, most people fell into the latter category. Bravery did not stand up well to such instinctive claustrophobia.

Julie Summers awoke with a start. She wasn't sure whether she was awake at first. She couldn't see anything at first, not even the barest hint of light. It was dark all around her. She tried to move, but her surroundings seemed unusually tight. Still, she thought nothing of it at first. It was only when she stretched out an arm that she noticed something was wrong. Her elbow hit something solid. Julie was momentarily stumped. What was going on here? It felt muggy and confining in here, like she was in some

It took a moment to register what was occurring. She reached out experimentally with both arms and encountered a solid barrier, a few inches from her face. It felt like rough wood against her fingertips. She pushed gently against the barrier, but the barrier didn't move.

Julie felt a rising feeling of dread welling up inside her. She pressed more insistently against the barrier, but the wall still didn't give. It was only a second before it hit her. She was trapped in some kind of confined space, with no way out and no idea what was in there with her.

Julie began to panic. She gave a forceful push against the course wood. "Help," she pleaded, hoping there was somebody around to hear her. "Somebody help me!" she shouted against the barrier, not sure if this was a dream or something, and not particularly caring at the moment. She screamed repeatedly for help, pushing feverishly against the obstacle in her path. Her blows became more savage with every passing moment, and she was trembling uncontrollably from the panic. She pounded furiously with both fists, banging desperately against the lid to whatever _this_ was. Out of desperation, she tried punching the barrier as hard as she could with her palm, hoping it wasn't nailed down or other sealed impenetrably.

When she least expected it, the lid slammed to the side, and the light of daylight reached her eyes. Julie jumped out the deathtrap in a dash, breathing hard and bracing herself against her knees. Sweat was splattered across her forehead and she was trying to get a grip on herself, to little avail. She felt like she was going to throw up, and it was almost like she had suffered a heat stroke. Fortunately, the cool air of the outside environment enabled her to recover, and eventually she stood up, still feeling her heart beating wildly, and tired, but much more composed. She wiped the sweat from her forehead, still slightly out of breath. What the hell had happened to her? And where was she?

It wasn't until she investigated her surroundings a little that the macabre nature of her situation hit her. She wanted to know what she had been confined in, so she turned around to examine the stretch of highway that lay before her, and it was then that she realized why everything had been so confined and why she had had trouble breathing.

She had been in a coffin.

An icy chill went down Julie's spine. The thought of being in her own grave made her feel awfully sick, and she couldn't stop herself from shaking. A distraught, upset feeling rose up inside her, one that she was hard-pressed to conceal. What kind of sick monsters would put her in that horrible confinement?! And why didn't she remember any of it? What the hell was going on here – and why was it happening to her?!

She wrapped her arms in an attempt to warm herself from the cold feeling that now swept her body, and stop the uncontrollable shivering wracking everything on her.

It took quite a few minutes for her to calm herself down, and she took a breath to recover her reserve. She felt disoriented and tired, even though she hadn't carried out any physical exertion. Her brain felt muddled: like there was a cloud of fog over her mind.

"What happened to me?" she asked herself, holding a hand against her forehead.

She remembered vague images of something occurring, but she couldn't remember what. There was darkness, a sense of fleeing and something intimidating, but everything was hazy.

The last thing she remembered clearly was waiting for Alessa; she called from the mall saying she was going to be late...

Alessa!

Julie went into panic mode. What if something happened to Alessa? And what if she arrived at home and realized she wasn't there? She wanted badly to rush somewhere and try to find some way to call home. Suddenly she realized what she was doing and took a deep breath. The worry was still there, gnawing at her stomach with every second. But she quickly forced herself to calm down anyway. She wasn't going to do anyone good if she started to go insane with worry. She had to find someone to help her and tell her exactly where she was.

She tried to think back to what happened at home before her view went dark and foggy. Suddenly a flash of images assaulted her, startling her physically. She had a feeling something bad was lurking there, and now that she thought about it, she wasn't sure that she wanted to remember.

Julie drew her arms close to her. Suddenly she felt cold. Was it cold in this place, or was it her?

The environment around her was not particularly optimistic. The buildings looked bleak and the mist was heavy amidst them, and the desolation was outstanding. There didn't seem to be a single soul anywhere around her. It looked like no attention had been paid to these buildings in a very long time. The wind occasionally picked up in strength, making her shudder as a chill swept through her. Where the hell was she, that there wasn't even the slightest sign of human habitation besides the structures?

She began to walk aimlessly in the hopes of finding out. With any luck, she could find someone who could tell her where she was. The fog was thick in the air and she could barely see where she was going, were it not for the large shapes of the buildings on either side of her. And where was everybody? She had never seen a town this deserted before, ever. Was she in a ghost town? Or had something happened to the people? She had heard of such places before, but she never thought she would actually visit one.

On the other hand, she'd actually been dragged here...

She thought back to the way she'd been introduced to this town, in a less than pleasant manner. She had been put into a coffin and left out in the open, to claw her way out of it. What kind of sick mind concocted something like that?

And why didn't they kill her when they had the chance?

Too many questions, and not enough answers. She was grateful to be alive, make no mistake, but she really wanted to know why she had been brought here. Why her, of all people? It wasn't like there was anything special about her, except for a couple of family members.

Finally she came across a form in the road.

Julie was thrilled to see what looked like a person. Could this be someone who could help her? It looked like they were lying on the ground, but anybody would be something.

"Hey! Are you all right?" she called out.

No response.

They could be hurt, was Julie's first thought. She rushed towards the unmoving form. She wasn't armed, but if the person was dangerous, she would deal with that when the time came. Maybe they were sleeping? She thought to herself. In the middle of the road? That was kind of weird, but she wasn't about to question it without being certain of what was going on here.

Realizing the potential benefits, she went ahead to see if she could help. Julie got a closer look as she approached. She saw a shape of a dark fabric that could be some sort of robe or blanket draped over their form.

It was only when she was very close that she realized something wasn't right here. This person didn't seem like a person at all; it wasn't moving at all. Was it dead? She got an awful feeling in her stomach. Had she stumbled upon a dead body? She got as close as she dared while being cautious. And that was when her thought process came to a halt. This wasn't a person. This wasn't a costume. This...this was something else. She nudged it with her boot, and to her shock, she got a glimpse of _two_ faces, not one, lying under the upper part of the garment.

She drew back in shock, gasping. _My god_, what was this thing? She thought in astonishment. She had never seen anything like it. Its form was huge, and yet, there was no indication of a regular body underneath. A pair of arms stretched out from under the cloak, elongated and thicker than usual, with huge, pronounced hands.

And its face...Julie didn't dare look underneath to see what was there again. The glimpse of that bald, human-like face she had gotten was enough for her.

What the hell was going on here? How the hell could something like this exist (besides the obvious demon-related explanation)? Suddenly she felt very vulnerable without a handgun or other weapon. If there were more of these things around, she was going to need some protection.

Julie continued to walk in the misty blankness, scanning for any signs of a weapon she could use. The grounds were depressingly empty. There was nothing but sticks and rocks lining the sidewalks, neither of which would last long against an assailant.

The stores weren't anything to brag about either. None of them stood out as an obvious hardware shop, which made sense, considering she wouldn't be that lucky. But she wondered if there was something _inside_ them she could appropriate...

Her eyes fell upon a store that looked to be some kind of crafts barn, and that was when she got the idea. The store housed a display of craft and pottery equipment behind an enormous plate glass window – perfect for a makeshift entrance. She picked up a rock of a large size, and standing at a safe distance, she hurled it at the plate glass window. The window shattered in the middle as a hold was neatly formed, as she expected. The hole was still not big enough for a human to pass through, though. Grabbing a stick from beside the store, she smashed it at the window while shielding her eyes to prevent any flying fragments from entering. Finally the glass was broken completely. Julie made her way inside, carefully stepping over the glass.

The store was rather mundane. Signs and pamphlets littered the ground, along with broken glass. Shelves lined the somewhat crowded area of the store, filled with pottery and craft items, along with tools for watering plants and packets of many various seeds. It seemed the store was a nursery, too. Plants lined the back shelves and front portion of the store in many different shapes and sizes. There were other things as well; balloons and decorations, it seemed like, but she didn't pay them much attention.

Julie stepped up to the front counter. She didn't think she would find anything useful here, but she had to make sure. She spotted a handwritten note on the counter. Picking it up and reading it, she realized it was a note to the employees in the store.

"_Welcome to our 25__th__ anniversary grand re-opening! We hope you'll enjoy_

_ working with us and growing to be part of our family, as we have for the_

_ past 25 years. Be sure to check out our inventory! There are new acacia seeds_

_ that we're sure will be a big hit with the tourists._

_ Check out the White Claudia plants too, while you're at it. They seem to go _

_ really quickly around here!_

_- Meredith Vielli"_

Ugh, Julie thought to herself. White Claudia. Now there was something she wanted nothing to do with. Suddenly she realized what was blatantly obvious. _White Claudia?_ There was only one place that produced that specific flower, and it wasn't one she wanted to contemplate. There was no way. It had to be a coincidence! It couldn't be. Her luck couldn't be that bad, that she would end up in the one place she never hoped to see again.

She wanted badly to rush out and check if it was true. But she realized she had to keep calm, and she decided to look around the rest of the store. There wasn't much to speak of. And the gardening tools, while effective, would be too large to carry around. A spade wouldn't do much damage either, so that was out despite being smaller. She had to find something smaller, yet with enough punch to do some serious damage if necessary. And then she noticed a pole lying on the ground. A _metal_ pole. It had fallen off a display near the window she came through, and was about two-and-a-half feet long. The _perfect_ length for a makeshift weapon. It didn't seem like it would bend easily either, and she gripped it firmly in her hand, feeling some sense of comfort now that she had a method of defending herself.

Julie rushed outside the store. The scenery and buildings were still the same, but now she looked at them through new, enlightened eyes. She found it hard to look at them the same way again, and her attention was drawn to the hill ahead. The mountain was still green, but it was clearer now in her mind and she recognized the shades of foliage that stood out. And lurking at the top of the hill was a building she would recognize anywhere. It was the only proof she needed of her suspicion.

Julie shuddered as the wind picked up speed around her. A sense of dread built up inside her, as she contemplated the situation she now found herself in. Everything seemed colder now; scarier. Whatever small comfort she had from finding a weapon was gone. She doubted a thousand coats would have kept her warm.

She wished she could tell herself she was mistaking, but there was no denying it. The signs were too many. The evidence spoke for itself, and it told of a place that had remained never-too-far in her mind, despite her best attempts to do otherwise.

And now she finally realized where she was.

She was in Silent Hill.

* * *

Julie stood dumbfounded, staring at the distant hill. It was an interesting thing, realizing you were in a place you had vowed never to return to, out of no accord of your own. People would definitely have adverse reactions in such a situation, ranging from casual to extreme. Other people might have panicked or screamed. Julie sat on the ground, simply staring at the mountain in the distance. For the longest time she remained sitting there, until she realized she wasn't going to find out why she had been brought here if she simply sat there all day long. She had to get moving if she wanted to find the answers to her questions.

Few people would understand the impact that Silent Hill had had on her life. It was one of the places that was central to it, but not all of it was pleasant. There were memories here that were better left in the past. She had vowed never to return to this place. The reasons were too many to list why. And now she found herself here without explanation, without motive.

It would be better if she had been forced to come here. At least then she would have control of the situation, if she were the one making the decision to return. But as it stood now, all she could do was wonder what this town had in store for her, since the town seemingly called her to it by herself.

She had heard the rumors, of course - that it called people through mysterious means, and once they went there, they never returned. But she never thought she would be the one to experience it herself.

Even if she had lived there once...

There was a dirt road that led up to the mountain, barred by a metal gate of antique design. Julie decided to follow it. There was no other place to go, after all. She already knew it would lead up to the hotel, and that was one familiar place she was anxious to see in person, to see how it changed. And if she was fortunately, that was definitely one place where she might get some help.

She walked the incline path for several minutes. The foliage was beautiful along the sides of the path. It was obvious these were a series of well-kept gardens, designed to entice visitors with their beauty, and keep them coming back over and over again. It gave her the feeling of being in a quiet little place in the mountainside, away from the city, which was definitely where she was. She kept a close eye on her surroundings, but there was no need to be alarmed. Occasionally there was a sound in the bushes, but the path was still for the most part.

It took her twenty-five minutes to walk the path, and she was tired from going uphill by the time she reached the summit. The building was much closer than she realized, but the incline made it a bit of an effort, going up rather than down. And when she finally saw the dwelling she had reached, she was more than a little overwhelmed.

Classic old-time architecture of the late 1900s formed a massive, imposing structure that looked stood out beautifully against the backdrop of natural hills and fog-shrouded atmosphere. The magnificent building loomed overhead, filling her with a sense of awestruck mulling and wonder. Without a doubt, it was the most beautiful structure in this town.

The Lake View Hotel.

This place hadn't changed at all, she thought, marveling at the hotel's beautiful architecture. A miracle, considering there was nobody to take care of it. Did it just look pretty on the outside and was all moldy and rusting on the inside?

She remembered when she and Chris had come here for their honeymoon. They had been on the last leg of their trip back from St. Croix and had decided to stay the week at the hotel, to stay away from the inner portion of the town for a few more days. She was blown away by naturally soothing the atmosphere here was. The area was so serene, so peaceful, it breathed calmness into her soul and rejuvenated both of them. It was hard to believe an area like that could exist, especially given what she knew about the town.

It was then that she truly came to believe Silent Hill was a sacred place. She was convinced, and so was Chris, that this could only be a place that had avoided the corrupting influences of the world and retained its natural mystical power.

How quickly things changed in life.

Passing the ornate gate blocking the path, there was an area with a couple of fountains and some very well-kept grass, along with a stone bench to sit on. It was obvious this was the back portion of the hotel; she could see a porch with a beautiful wooden door leading inside the hotel.

There was a dock nearby, leading down from the yard. The fog was thick along the wooden dock, but Julie could see a rowboat settled along the dock. Julie shuddered to think where it could lead. She got a weird feeling when she thought about where that rowboat led to in the fog. She saw a light was shining on a lamppost - presumably it was to lead someone in if someone was crossing from the other side. She marveled at how thick the fog was - thicker than usual; it almost looked like a gray mass in the air, staring at it as she was, which only made her wonder more about what lurked inside. What was hiding in the fog?

She went up to examine the stone fountains, and it was then that she noticed something unusual. She noticed a discarded page of a letter lying by one of the fountains – the farthest in the back. Interesting. Who would leave a letter lying around in a place like this? Someone who had visited and left in a hurry, perhaps?

She picked up the letter from the ground, growing more intrigued as she read it.

_In my restless dreams, I see that town,_

_ Silent Hill._

_ You promised you'd take me_

_ there again someday._

_ But you never did. _

_ Well, I'm alone there now..._

_ In our "special place"._

_ Waiting for you..._

Hmm. That was interesting, she thought silently. Actually, it was kind of romantic, she sighed wistfully, thinking about the couple whom the letter was obviously focused around. She would be glad to get a letter such as this from someone she cared about, if she were in that position.

She thought about the "you" referenced in the letter. She wondered if the person ever found who was waiting for them. She hoped so. It would be a lovely story, if a couple could be reunited in this manner after months or years apart.

Placing the letter on the fountain, she decided to move on. There was no sense in getting wistful over someone she didn't know, especially when her own life was at stake in this place. She wasn't going to do that, but she wasn't going to be disrespectful and throw it away like a piece of garbage either. If she needed it later for some reason, she would know there to look.

Assuming the wind didn't blow it away...

The porch of the Lake View hotel was beautifully designed. This was the kind of architecture you would find in an antiquated home; the kind you could sit in and watch the world go by without a care. Given that there was a chair already, it was a tempting proposition, just to do that for a little while. But she would accomplish nothing by standing still. For some reason, she had been brought here. Julie went inside.

She was greeted by near complete darkness. Julie cursed that she hadn't brought a flashlight from..._wherever_ she was brought here from. The light from outside provided some clarity, and once her eyes adjusted to the setting, she realized it wasn't quite as dark as it seemed at first. But she was still going to have to find a flashlight around here if the rest of the hotel as dark as it was here.

There was an assortment of rooms in the area. She already saw the hallway was a tight fit, but there were at least five doors in the vicinity. There was one that appeared to be a restaurant of some sort. Julie could barely make out the sign's writing, but that was exactly what it was. Most of them were locked, from what it looked like. She felt around blindly in the hallway, groping around for a handle she could turn. By blind chance, she stumbled onto a door that was unlocked, and emerged into a brand new area of the hotel.

The room was vast and dark, with a vase nearby and an area that appeared to be a check-in counter. It was obvious she was in the lobby of the hotel. There was a little more light in some places than in the previous hall, due to the light that streamed in from the outside. And ahead was the front entrance, settled at the center of an expanse that showed just how big the hotel truly was. The curtains were drawn down over the windows. Only the front door was truly illuminated from the sunlight streaming through it.

Julie looked around the lobby at first. Nothing too interesting to be found. She focused back on the reception area. In a very unusual occurrence, she spied a notice on the front desk of the reception office. To her surprise, it was handwritten, and that wasn't the most astounding thing about it.

She found herself growing intrigued as she read it...

_Mrs. Julie Gillespie,_

_ We've been waiting for you to arrive. We hope you enjoy your experience as you did when you first stayed here on your honeymoon._

_ Please make yourself at home. And if you need any assistance, be sure to look for the current resident._

Julie set the note down, puzzled. What the hell? Who would leave a message to her like this? It sounded like they were waiting for her, but that was impossible. And the reference to her previous name was especially unsettling.

She hadn't gone by that name in a very long time, since Chris changed their name to Summers. Julie didn't like it that much, but it was better than Gillespie. She would have preferred to take Chris' original name of Mechler, but it seemed Chris was reluctant to return to that period in his life. Pity. She understood why he did it, though.

At least they didn't call her Julia. She could never really stand that name, which was why she never used it anymore. It just wasn't her, despite the beautiful ring to it. And considering the tendencies of the woman who gave it to her, it was something she definitely didn't want to be associated with.

But the question remained: who would know her name in this place? Everyone she knew in this town was dead. And the hotel staff wasn't even an option. They couldn't possibly have been waiting for her 21 years, or however long it had been.

And what did they mean by the current resident? This place was obviously deserted. Unless they meant the monsters...

In which case, she definitely didn't want to need any of their help.

Shaking her head at the bizarreness of it all, Julie went to check around. Things in the hotel lobby definitely hadn't changed much since she was there. The lobby was expansive, with a grand carpeted staircase in the center of the room. Vases are other objects adorned the corners of the room, along with an elaborate music box in the center of the room before the staircase. There was a dark, quietly reverent aura to the hotel with all the lights out and only the outside daylight left to provide clarity. In another place, it would have been creepy, but here, it was almost heartening to have the hotel be so peaceful, considering the dangers outside. Like she had never left...

She went up to the music box. It was a beautiful contraption, standing taller than her by several inches. The cabinet was made of oak, and was very well preserved, considering it was already an antique when she was here the first time. There was a metal plate in the middle that Julie knew was part of the music box's playing capabilities, and there was a wooden base underneath. Strangely there were three grooves in the middle; Julie didn't know what they could be for. Julie remembered when she heard the music box's song for the first time. It was like magic to her ears, and she never forgot how sweet that melody sounded. Unfortunately it seemed to be broken; it wasn't playing music no matter what she did with it.

Oh well; too bad. She would have loved to have heard that song again...

She went back to the reception office. To her surprise, it was unlocked, requiring no key to open. That was kind of strange. She would have thought a key was necessary to open the reception office. Entering inside, she found a shelf mounted on the wall for keys to all the hotel rooms. To her disbelief, there was a key to one of the rooms. Picking it up, Julie noted the key's room number. Room 302...that was the room she and Chris stayed in on their honeymoon. That was something to contemplate...but not at the moment. She had other things to do right now. Shrugging off the unsettling notion, she put it in her pocket. It might come in useful later. There was nothing else of notice in the office, so she left.

Although she wasn't really going to leave yet, she decided to see if she could leave the hotel through this area. It might be a necessity in case she really needed to leave this place quickly.

Trying the front door, she found that it was locked. _Locked!_ Julie thought in disbelief. Why would they keep the front door locked and not the back?

Was it a coincidence, or was there more to it? She guessed they wanted to keep her trapped in here, whoever 'they' were. She wasn't going to walk all the way back there to those buildings.

Staring around at the surroundings confirmed what Julie already knew: she wasn't going to find help in this place. She had hoped... no, she had _prayed_...that there was someone to be found in this place. But alas, it seemed the very same condition that had afflicted the rest of the outside surroundings had afflicted this place as well. While she couldn't be sure the whole _town_ was like, things were looking grim.

Unless the place was just plain closed...

But if so, why would it be unlocked from the back door?

Forcing herself to remain calm, she knew she needed to find someone to help. But for now, she was stuck here. There was only one thing to do. She needed to explore the rest of the hotel, to see whether there was anything that could be useful. That meant taking the staircase up and seeing what was on the second flood. She had no idea what was waiting for her, but at least she had a weapon, of sorts. She wasn't completely defenseless.

Climbing the stairs, she stood for a moment in indecision. She decided to go left into the next area. It was as a good a place as any to start.

The hallway was much smaller than the one on the first floor, before the lobby. Unfortunately there wasn't much worth nothing. There was an elevator, but it didn't work. She pressed the button repeatedly to no avail. Most of the doors were locked, and the one that wasn't lead into a store room with nothing special to find. There was a map, out near the elevator. Julie stuffed it into her pocket as best she could. Onto the right then.

She went across the second floor to the other side.

This area was similar to the one she had left. But already there was something different. It was slightly more lit than the previous hall, and there was more than just one section to it. To her left, the hallway turned into another set of rooms. Julie turned the corner and found something very unusual. It looked like it was a cloak of some sort, lying at the foot of the window, at the end. Julie thought of the monster lying out there on the street, but she dismissed that thought. Whatever it was, the object wasn't moving. There was no sound coming from it either, and she could see no arms or head. Had someone left something covered up here? A package of some sort?

Julie carefully approached it – she wanted to poke it with the pipe to see what it was. It was rather large, and unusually shaped. Still, it didn't seem to be making any noises. A part of her warned her that this was stupid, but her curiosity was too much. She had to know what it was. She was reaching to pull back the cloak when a large white arm suddenly emerged from the black cloth, slapping down on her torso. Julie was sent reeling back, until she crashed against the wall. The creature turned, and Julie noted what looked like the skulls of two little girls, or two feminine porcelain masks, with long dark hair, protruding from the cape-like cloak. The creature began to charge at her, all the while emitting a noise that sounded like a shrieking infant. Pushing back the shock and pain, Julie grabbed her pipe and swung it in an arc against the skull on the left, stopping it in its tracks. The creature groaned in pain, and attempted to swipe at her with one of its enormous hands. She struck it again before it accomplished that, and as it started to back along on its hands, she struck it repeatedly with the pipe, until the creature fell to the ground. Julie wasn't taking chances, though, and she continued smashing the pipe down on its form until the creature finally stopped moving.

She backed away from the monster. Her heart was pumping a thousand times a minute, it seemed. The confrontation had left her tired, breathing hard from the combined energy and fright. She opened her hand; the pipe fell to the floor with a metallic thud. This whole situation seemed surreal and dreamlike; she couldn't believe she was standing here. She was astonished at how quickly she had defended herself. No hesitations, no second thoughts about it. She had done it instinctively, without thinking. It was a little frightening, almost. But now the battle was over. The adrenaline faded from her body, and as it did, the pain returned.

Julie knelt down on the ground, holding her arms close to her as she bent over in pain. Her chest hurt, so badly she could barely move. She feared a few of her ribs might have broken, but thankfully it didn't seem that bad. She tried to hold back the tears and succeeded, for the most part. She stayed there for a quite a while, until she finally had the strength to stand up straight again.

Julie roughly made her way over to the body. She almost would have used the pipe as a walking aid, if it were long enough. She was still breathing hard, to say nothing of how tired she felt. Her chest was still sore; the ache lingered deep inside. God that thing hit hard! She was lucky the monster hadn't struck her harder.

She examined the creature up close. The corpse was still not moving, which was a sure sign it was dead. It looked like the creature she had seen outside, laying dead on the road. The only difference was that its cloak was darker, looking more like cloth. Its arms were thinner than the previous one's, also. Its form was huge for its shape; oval and cut at the halfway point. Or was that the cloth? Shifting the skull with her boot, Julie saw a glimpse of the faces of two little girls, or feminine porcelain masks just as she'd thought. She let it fall to face the floor. Either possibility was disturbing.

What _was_ this thing? She asked in horror. It was like nothing she had ever seen. How could these things be here? She was in serious trouble if there more of these things around. And there were almost certainly more of them. There wasn't going to be just one of these things in the whole entire town. To say nothing of the hotel – was she the only occupant in this place that wasn't one of these things?

She looked up at the ceiling of the hotel. How many of these things were wandering around up there, looking for something to attack? Was it even possible to know? Julie suddenly got a fearful feeling. She was alone, armed with a pipe, against what looked like an unknown number of creatures of unknown origins. She almost didn't want to go further, but she realized she had to explore the hotel. She had to find a gun or something, so that she could defend herself. She doubted she would find one here, but maybe she would get lucky. And she still didn't know the reason why she was here. No, she couldn't stop here, even if she wanted to.

It took about thirteen more minutes before she felt well enough to continue. At least she still had her watch. Something to be grateful for. She could only guess at how delayed it was, though. She needed to explore the rest of the hotel. Even if it was crawling with these things, she had to know what else was here.

She could leave right now, but she would be leaving without any items that were to be found, and any info that might be gained from the hotel.

She was going to stay here. If she got injured or needed to escape...well, she would deal with that when the time came.

The hallway where the rooms were was darker than the others. Julie could barely see where she was going. She needed a flashlight around here – another thing she would have to find around here. Fortunately there didn't seem to be anything in the corridor. Julie stepped into one of the rooms – the only room that was open it seemed, after stumbling in through the door.

The room looked exactly the ones she remembered. It was modestly furnished, with just enough to satisfy the people who were staying there. Strangely enough, the lights were on despite the state of the rest of the hotel. Julie pulled out the map and examined it – judging by the doors, she had to be in Room 214.

She looked around the room. There wasn't much to speak of in the room, merely the usual standard items for a hotel suite. There was a lamp in one corner, a closet for your clothes, a nightstand and some random portraits, and a TV near the window. The curtains were pulled down, casting the room in a dim and muted light. There was only one thing that was noteworthy and it immediately caught her attention. To her utter surprise, laying on the bed in plain view was a gun. Julie picked up the handgun, unable to believe her luck. What were the chances of finding exactly what she needed in a place like this? Someone had clearly left it here, but who in their right mind would bring a gun to this place? And why would they leave it right in the open where anyone could see it? She examined the shiny metallic weapon. It was a revolver, and it looked like it was the kind that would pack a serious punch. It would definitely be a huge advantage against those monsters, that was for sure.

She was about to leave when she noticed a paper sticking out from the under the bed. Kneeling to pick it up, she saw that it was a slip of paper. The paper was torn from a larger page, and there was something scribbled on it, in small but discernible letters.

"_I can't stand it anymore. Those doctors just don't understand, and they only want to get paid anyway. The medicines make me sick, and yet they say I'm only better when I'm taking them. If I'm only better when I'm on the medicines, then what purpose does my life have? My family doesn't care about me. They came to visit me several times, but so what? I can see it in their eyes. Nobody cares about me. It'll be better for everyone if I'm gone, and not a burden. At least it'll be in a nice, quiet place. So quiet, so peaceful..._"

Julie set the note down with a grim expression. The note ended there. So the owner of this weapon had decided to end it all. She wanted to feel sorry for them, but whoever it was had left her a valuable weapon. She checked the cylinder to see whether it was loaded. There were five bullets in the chamber! - She guessed the missing one was the culprit. That brought her down to a serious level, but she put it out of her mind without a second thought. She couldn't feel sorry for that person right now. She looked around the room some more and managed to find six more bullets, lying in a corner of the room. She couldn't help the rush that passed through her. This would definitely help her out against those creatures.

The hallway was still dark as when she left it, and again Julie was reminded that she needed to find a flashlight around here. She wasn't sure she would find anything else here, but there were still a few doors she hadn't tried. Suddenly, she heard something that sounded like a faint crash. Remembering the map, she realized it had to be at the end of the hall in Room 220. She raced toward the end of the hallway, though not in too much of a rush – she wasn't in a hurry to fight any more monsters.

Room 220 stood like a foreboding omen. To her surprise, the room was unlocked; she half-expected this to be something she couldn't investigate. Her heart started to pound. She carefully entered the room, making sure to open the door as quietly as possible. She didn't want to announce her presence to something obviously, if there was something dangerous in the room.

She clutched her gun tightly, ready to use it if necessary. She wasn't sure what was lurking in the room, but she was already too far in to back out now. The room was the same as the other on first glance, with modest draperies and the standard basic comforts for its guests. She was poised to enter a battle, but to her utter surprise, it wasn't a monster that it was in the room. It was a woman.

A back clothed in red met Julie's sight. She was wearing a skirt darker in color that looked like something a "party girl" would wear, and her long dark boots were definitely giving off a sensual vibe. She seemed lost in her own thoughts, staring at the pieces of a broken vase on the ground. So that was what the noise was. Had she broken it? Or had it fallen on the ground on its own?

Julie was tentative, but decided to make herself known.

"Hello?"

The woman turned, and Julie was blessed with the face of a beautiful olive skinned woman.

There was a moment of stepping back as the woman realized she wasn't alone. She clutched a hand to her chest, visibly startled by the intrusion of another person. Julie quickly hid her gun to the side once she realized the woman was unarmed. She didn't want to startle her.

The woman's eyes shifted into a wide stance as her surprise played out.

"Calm down, I'm not here to hurt you," Julie said, holding one hand up in caution, as a gesture of not meaning any harm. The woman kept her hands up in caution, instinctively ready in case she needed to plead or defend herself. When she realized that Julie was serious, she gradually lowered her guard. She didn't notice the revolver Julie kept at the back of her hip.

The exotic woman relaxed a bit, letting out a great sigh of relief.

"You scared me," she said, sounding somewhat out of breath. It was obvious the intrusion by someone else had shaken her. Now that it was settled, though, she seemed to be adjusting quickly to her presence.

She regarded Julie with a curious look. Her eyes seemed to shine in excitement.

"Finally, another human being!"

The voice was sweet, with a hint of a Hispanic accent. Julie found it oddly comforting, to realize she sounded somewhat normal, at least. She seemed to be wanting to embrace her, but kept her distance instead.

"Did they figure out what's going on?" she asked excitedly.

"What do you mean?" Julie asked, confused.

The woman looked crestfallen. "Aren't you here to rescue me?" she asked in confusion. It was obvious her hopes for _something_ were falling rapidly.

"Sorry, I'm just exploring around here," Julie said, hating having to crush the woman's hopes. It was obvious she was waiting for someone to find her here, but why was the greater question.

"Oh," the woman said, turning her back on the other. But Julie wasn't going to let it go that easily.

"What do you mean, rescue you?" Julie inquired. "What happened?"

The woman turned back to her. "Wait a minute. If we're going to ask questions here, why don't we start with you, for instance?" she said, hands on her hips. "What are you doing here? What's your name?"

"Julie Summers," Julie replied, with a shrug. "I just found myself here all of a sudden. I've just been exploring this place out since I got here. Everyone else is gone," she said. She chose her words carefully, not wanting to go into her situation. She didn't want this woman to think she was crazy, after all.

"What about you?" she asked, changing the subject. "What's your name?"

The woman seemed to warm up to her question.

"My name's Cynthia," she said, in that flawless voice. "Cynthia Velasquez."

Julie nodded in acknowledgment. She thought she sounded Spanish. Not to mention, she looked exotic in face and skin. Very beautiful, in fact. She pushed that thought to the side.

"Cynthia," she tried out the name. "What are you doing here?"

Cynthia shrugged. "I'd gone away with the intention of taking some time off from work. I was on vacation here. Everything was fine until a few days ago. I fell asleep in my hotel room and when I woke up, everyone was gone. There was this mist lingering around too, which is kind of strange. I didn't see anyone around, so I decided to stay here and wait to see if somebody else shows up. I've been here for the past three days."

"Three days?" Julie asked incredulously. "How did you stay here for so long? What about food?"

The woman shrugged. "There was some downstairs in some of the rooms. I simply took what I needed." She paused. "Why? Do you think it has something to do with what's going on?" she asked.

Julie frowned in confusion. All the rooms were locked downstairs. Either someone was opening and closing them again for Cynthia, or else, it meant that Cynthia perceived the hotel differently, somehow. She had no idea how that was possible, but it seemed to be a reasonable theory given the circumstances. They had one thing in common, in that they both saw it abandoned, but there was a certain other difference that mattered. She doubted Cynthia had a key to this place, if she just woke up here the same way Julie did.

It was incredible that she had been here for a while. Julie tried to imagine Cynthia staying in the hotel for three days, with no clue as to where everybody around her went, or what was happening. She must have been scared. Waking up with no one else around you, in a strange place where you didn't know where you were. Julie would have been scared, alright. She _was_ scared, with her current situation, not knowing what was happening. She couldn't imagine being here alone with nobody else for more than a few hours.

"Cynthia...do you even know where you are?" Julie asked.

"Yeah...I went outside a few times," Cynthia replied. "This is the Lake View Hotel, isn't it? There are some stories about this place. Do you think it's responsible for what's happening?"

"No..." Julie said hesitantly. Cynthia didn't seem to believe her, but she didn't remark on it.

She seemed to shift gears as she smiled wryly.

"What about you?" Cynthia asked. "What's your story?"

Unsure of how to answer the question, Julie went for honesty. "I don't know what's going on. It's like I fell asleep at home and woke up here," she said. She neglected to say she had been in a coffin when she woke up. That was a little too weird, even for the situation.

Suddenly she realized what it was she'd said. Julie felt like groaning in exasperation. She almost smacked herself when she realized her mistake. Damn it! She cursed herself silently. She just had to go and say that, didn't she? Now this woman was going to think she was a nut case.

"Really?" Cynthia inquired, with a skeptical glance; one eyebrow raised.

"I know it sounds crazy, but you have to believe me," Julie said quickly, wanting not to give this woman the wrong impression. She must sound crazy, and not in a good way, she realized. It was one thing to wake up here already being in the town, but all the way from home? That was a little too much of a stretch to believe.

Cynthia apparently felt the same way, unsure of whether to believe her.

Suddenly she had a change of heart.

"I guess it's not so crazy, you waking up in this place," she added, as an afterthought, with a slight smile.

Julie sighed in relief. It looked like she wasn't going to have to explain herself further, after all.

Finally, Cynthia noticed the gun Julie held at her side, behind her hand.

"That's an interesting gun you have there," she said, backing up a little. Her comment took Julie by surprise.

"Oh? I found this in a room a few doors down. Some guy left it there," Julie said, holding up the gun to Cynthia in a disarming gesture.

"You don't know him, do you?" Julie asked. Suddenly she realized what she said. "Sorry, stupid question."

"It's okay. No, I don't know him. I haven't seen anyone here but you," Cynthia said.

She gave Julie an amused, although uncomfortable look.

"You're not planning to use it either?" Cynthia asked wryly.

"No, of course not! Not on you, anyway," Julie shook her head.

Cynthia stared at her like she was unsure of that. Like she was wondering whether Julie was a serial killer who would strike at her at any moment…

"Well, if you're not here to rescue me, I guess I better get going," Cynthia said.

The other woman was alarmed.

"Wait, you can't go out there alone!" Julie protested. Cynthia looked at her in askance.

"There are monsters out there. They're some type of creatures that attack you when you get close to them," Julie said, trying to make it clear she wasn't joking. She wasn't surprised when the other woman wasn't as believing.

She almost laughed. "Monsters?" Cynthia asked in disbelief.

"Yes. I encountered one of them outside in the hall," Julie said. "I had to use a pipe to kill it," she said, remembering the pipe she had left in the other room.

"Really?" Cynthia inquired, with that same skeptical glance as before.

"I'm not lying!" Julie insisted, trying to get the other woman to see her reason. She knew this sounded crazy, but it was no more crazy than their situation at the moment.

"Hey, I believe you," Cynthia said, but she made no effort to stay where she was. And Julie knew that she had to convince her otherwise. She was probably staring at her like she was a mental patient, but with no weapon and no preparation, she wouldn't last a minute out there if she ran into some monster.

"Wait," Julie tried again. "You can't go out there without a weapon."

"Hon, I'll be all right," Cynthia said, smiling at her. "I'm not some useless fluff. I can take care of myself."

Before Julie could object, she casually left the room.

Julie was left standing alone in the room. Shit. This wasn't good. Julie couldn't help thinking: she had sent her to her death. Well, she hadn't sent her directly; she had gone on her own. But she couldn't hold her back from going forcibly. There was no way she was going to convince her that way, and she wasn't about to use her gun to threaten her. She would just have to hope Cynthia really did know what she was doing, and that she could defend herself without a weapon.

She decided to explore the room Cynthia had occupied. There wasn't much to examine in the room. Clearly Cynthia would have noticed if there was. She examined the shards of the vase Cynthia had been staring at. She wondered whether Cynthia had knocked it over, or whether it had fallen over on its own. There was nothing remarkable about it; she wondered whether it was just a method of attracting her attention? Maybe something had knocked it over, prompting Cynthia to wake up and her to rush the room to meet her. It seemed like a possible scenario, given the circumstances.

Now what? was the obvious question. She supposed she should go after Cynthia, but she wasn't sure the woman would appreciate her following her like some sort of stalker. And there was the issue of the other rooms. She was going to have to explore the rest of the hotel, but that seemed like a daunting task at the moment. Would she have to explore the entire hotel before she found something of value? Maybe she would be better taking what few items she items she could find and going back to the town. Then again, she had already found a valuable discovery in Cynthia. Maybe there was another valuable discovery waiting to be found.

She was still thinking when she felt it. There was a moment before something changed. Suddenly, the air felt strange around her. Something wasn't right. Out of the blue, she cried out as she was suddenly stricken by a fearsome headache. Damn, her head was pounding. It felt like someone was drilling into her mind. Julie tried to stay upright, but she crumbled under the pressure, falling to her knees, gripping her forehead tightly as the sensation of vertigo overtook her. The world seemed to be shifting around her, pulsing along with her diminishing view as her headache intensified to the point of agony. Julie cried quietly to herself, as she began to feel faint and incorporeal. The pain was too much, and it was stronger than anything she had felt before. And as she was passing out, she heard the faint sound of sirens outside the .

The sound of sirens was heard over the hotel as she gave herself over to the darkness.

* * *

Julie awoke with a groan, as she returned back to consciousness. The world was dark around her, so much that she was unable to discern any detail about anything. She groaned as she pushed herself up. She held her head from the pounding headache that had overtaken her, but even that was already fading, instantly disappearing as though by some magic force that was influencing the area. What the hell was that? It was like one blinding headache had overtaken her one minute, and the next she had woken up in another world. Like a shift in reality had taken place, if that made any sense. And the building around her was obviously affected as well, judging by her surroundings. There was no way the building could have changed that drastically on its own, just by losing a couple lights.

She looked around at her surroundings. The room was dark around her, from the walls to the desk, with nary a bit of light to be found. The air was humid around her, feeling warm and muggy. She wiped the sweat off her brow, sighing as she did so. It was like she was in hell, she thought. She was tempted to strip off her shirt, but there was no way she was going to run around here in her bra. Bad idea, considering the sharp clawed monsters that were crawling around here. Not until she had an undershirt, at least. Besides, that sounded like something her daughter would do.

She was still in the bedroom in the hotel. The few details she could discern about the things around her overwhelmingly confirmed that. The change in the atmosphere in the room was remarkable. How could the change have happened so quickly, going from comfortable to feeling like she was in a boiler room somewhere?

The room held a dreadful atmosphere within it now, and she was almost hesitating to take a single step outside its confines. God only knew what was waiting for her out there, in the hallway. How far was the extent of the change in the hotel and to what extremes did it go in the other areas? Suddenly she was feeling very self-conscious in the hotel room, with only her gun and a pipe to protect her, and afraid. She was afraid. She would be foolish to try and deny it. Only a person with no common sense whatsoever wouldn't be afraid in a situation like this. Cynthia was long gone. There was no one else in the hotel she could rely on for help, no one she could call to give her aid. She wished to God she had convinced her to stay, so that she wouldn't be alone in this place.

She was almost lost on what to do. There were no people around, no way to reach the outside world...if the whole town _was_ like this, what was she going to do? She had no purpose here besides survival, having been brought here against her will. She didn't even have an idea of who has brought her here. If only she had an idea of who her brought her here, maybe she could begin to develop a plan of sorts. But she didn't even know that! All she had were flashes of images; dark and hazy. She almost felt like crying, were it not for the fact that it would not accomplish anything. She was already in a mess without wasting unnecessary energy on stupid things like tears.

It wasn't fair. A few hours ago she had been at home. Or at least, she assumed it was a few hours. It could have been days for all she knew, since she'd been brought here. But she had been home, and she was happy. And now she was here. What kind of sadistic being was threatening enough to bring her back here of all places, against her own will? She knew there were powers in the town that could not be easily explained, but there was no reason whatsoever for her to be summoned here. She had done nothing wrong.

She took a breath to compose herself. She was not going to survive this if she started worrying about every little thing and complaining needlessly about circumstances that she couldn't change. She needed to take this one step at a time, letting herself carefully get adjusted to the situation.

Damn it, why did she have to get dragged back here? She had left this town long ago, never to return. And now she found herself here again. She couldn't remember anything about how she got here. There were flashes of memory, brutality, and something attacking her, but she couldn't remember clearly what it was. It all seemed like one big nightmare.

Julie took another breath. She had to calm down. This time it worked. She felt herself settle into a calmer attitude, as she allowed herself to focus on the situation at hand. _You have to calm yourself_, she said to herself, trying to force herself to remain in that focused state of mind. She gripped her gun tightly, prepared for anything that might come her way. If there were things waiting for her out there, she would just have to take them as they came. There was no way she would accomplish anything in staying here all day, much as she wanted. Her breath lingered visibly in front of her in a condensed frost. This place was freezing around her. Suddenly, in the span of a second, the area had gone from sweltering hot to bitingly frigid, and the change was shocking. It was like this place was in an unstable state of change, and the environment was unable to settle on one atmosphere or another. If this could happen so quickly to the place, what else would happen to the atmosphere? Would it suddenly turn poisonous? But she couldn't worry about things like that. The most important thing was that she get out there and start exploring. She wished she had a match for lighting, but it would probably just freeze anyway. A lighter probably wouldn't do much better. Not to mention, she didn't smoke. The only hope was if the town was courteous enough to leave her a flashlight lying around here somewhere.

She remembered an old saying she once heard: "once you enter Silent Hill, you never leave." The sentiment was an ominous one. She knew it was motivated by the tourism industry that made the town seem like a paradise on Earth, but in light of recent events it had definitely come to take on a sinister meaning for those who chose to enter the town. Well, Julie wasn't going to let that happen to her. She was going to make it out of this town, no matter how much hard work it took.

Suddenly, Julie realized that there was an opening in the wall leading to another room! She proceeded further away from the bed, and realized that something had torn off a large segment of the wall, making a rough hole large enough through which an adult human being could make passage. The door to the bedroom was locked and impossible to open, but the opening leading from the hotel room into another area was definitely a possibility for getting out of this place now. Assuming it led to the other room. Technically it was supposed to lead next door, but Julie knew this place well enough to know that it could easily be a portal to another part of the town or some place even worse. But what choice did she have? It was either stay here and wait for Cynthia to come back or someone else to rescue her, unlikely, or else take matters into her own hands. And she needed to get moving. Cynthia didn't know about the monsters from first-hand experience, and if she didn't take her seriously, she was going to get hurt. That was just the simple truth of the matter. Summoning all her courage, the quiet brunette woman made a decision. Gathering her gun and pipe tightly and praying she knew what she was doing, Julie crossed the threshold, and resigned herself to whatever awaited her on the other side.

The town awaited her.


End file.
